When the March March was marched in March

Sherry Drinking - A key feature of the "March March".

The following is a transcript of an interview with Bernard Hodgkiss of Barrow-on-the-Twee from 1952.

We were proud of our traditions in Barrow. On the 13th of March, every year, we would celebrate the traditions of spring by donning string hats, woolen trousers, grass masks, terrible shoes and clerical collars before walking through the town in step in a military style. We called this the "March March". We would  begin in the town square and tramp from the Market place to the Churchyard. Once at the church we would sing the Marching hymn and drink seven small glasses of Apple Sherry. This would all end in a jig before we retired to the town hall for pie.

There was a bit of trouble one year. I think a few of the townsfolk had more than the requisite glasses of sherry. There were harsh words exchanged which were followed by shouting, kicks and blows. The town council were very concerned and so they issued a decree that the March March would not occur in the following year.

We  were up in arms about this. No March March? Even though we begged and pleaded with the council and even though those hooligans who had been involved in the fracas promised not to attend... the council would not relent. So we thought we ought to stage a protest. In the August of that year we staged a march, following the same route but pausing outside the council office where we ceremoniously emptied seventy glasses of apple sherry onto the street as a mark of our resolve that the previous naughtiness would not reoccur. We called this march the "March in support of the March March". Though some called it the "March March March".

Unfortunately the council did not look kindly on us running an unsanctioned march. Nor were they happy with the state of the street, which was now covered in sticky apple sherry, causing a plague of wasps to invade their offices. They issued a new order saying that no marches could ever occur again. 

We were very upset about this and so decided to stage another march. This one was planned to encircle the council offices in the heart of November. We would March around 7 times, deliver a case of apple sherry to the council and sing a song of peace and friendship. We called this march the "March to undo the wrongs caused by the March March March" (though many called this the "March March March March.")

The council caught wind of our plan and promised to reinstate the March March as long as we didn't have a March March March or a March March March March ever again.

So we promised and the next year the March March occurred as usual. And long may it continue.

(The March March continues to this day in Barrow-on-the Twee - You can find out more if you visit the Barrow-on-the-Twee museum - only open every second Tuesday after a full moon.)